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With this issue the Kingpin's plan for Wakanda is revealed, and it makes sense, not that I thought it wouldn't with a writer as good as Liss is. The reveal is an important one though and I was pleased that it left me feeling very satisfied with the story.

As for the rest of this issue, it was great fun seeing T'Challa act as a detective as he figured out which of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Wakanda betrayed him. The end of the fight scene with Lady Bullseye and Typhoid Mary was fast and fun as well.

To preface, this review is obviously biased. I've said repeatedly that David Liss is one of the most underappreciated writers in Marvel's employ, and it's a comment that I've stood by over the last year. Black Panther has been a great read over the last year or so and has excellently handled a spin-off of a terrible event that could have been equally disasterous. However, Black Panther has consistently been one of Marvel's better titles, providing a gritty feeling book that showcases what a strong character Black Panther can be when written well. Unfortunately, due to low sales, Black Panther is getting cancelled and so Liss is ending the series by bringing the book full circle and tying the book in with both Shadowland and Wakanda.

In this issue, T'Challa discovers the reasons behind the Hand's attacks on Wakandan nationals and begins to devise a counterplan. Both the Kingpin and Black Panther enter into a dangerous game to try to manipulate the other into making some mistake that they can take advantage of. One of the running themes of the series is how formidable BP is both physically and mentally, so it's great to see him in a situation that tests all of his skills at the same time.

While Martinbrough's art isn't as strong as Francavilla's, it's still servicable and doesn't take away from the story too much. Unlike Frag, there were a couple of scenes that I wished was a little more muted, but then again, there were also a couple of scenes that were needlessly draped in shadows.

Story - I was never a big fan of the Black Panther as a solo proposition, I liked him as a member of the Avengers, but on his own... he was kind of boring, too perfect, not really a Marvel character as I perceive them. But then he lost his extra-abilities, lost his country and sought to replace Daredevil. Suddenly I liked him a lot more, he was fallible, he could get his ass mightily kicked, and the threats he was facing were just a little bit more interesting than bloody Man-Ape.

This issue continue's the Panther's struggle against perhaps the most iconic of Marvel's street-level villains in the Kingpin, and really does showcase that T'Challa is very much deserving of his new sub-title as 'The Most Dangerous Man Alive'. The action sequences in this issue were brilliant. You could tell they were well thought-out, and it was fantastic to get a running play-by-play of what's going on from Black Panther's perspective, you really understand how great a fighter he is. Even when things go wrong for him (which they do frequently in this book), he manages to think up a way out of it. It's way more interesting to see a character use his brains rather than relying on a magical metal like Vibranium or on his wife Storm as he used to. I mean, when was the last time the Black Panther ran away from a fight? Well, he does it in this issue, and it makes perfect sense. This is a hero refreshingly aware of his new limitations.

But that doesn't mean that Black Panther is now a coward or something, in a scene that even the new, half-crazy Matt Murdock would probably balk at, T'Challa breaks into the Kingpin's fortress and confronts him. This exchange is probably the best thing David Liss has written, and it really was wonderfully tense (even with the cutaway gag of Typhoid Mary and Lady Bullseye eating ice cream, which was damn funny), and with Martinbrough's excellent use of shadows, very cinematic. What makes this sequence even better is that both Black Panther and Kingpin believe they are manipulating the other, believe they are pulling the strings. Who actually is, well that's anyone's guess, but it insures that the conclusion of this arc is going to brilliant. Which is good, because whilst it's sad that this book is getting cancelled, at least it's going out with a bang.

And what a bang it's going to be, with Black Panther calling in a cavalry that consists of Luke Cage, Power Man and The Falcon. Yes, these characters are all black, and some readers may read something dodgy into that, but I think it's done for one reason only, and that's because Liss is really trying to hearken back to the 1970s with this book at the moment, look at Francavilla's awesome covers, they are the very essence of Bronze Age Marvel. So what better way to celebrate that, than bringing in the Blaxpoitation Hero that is Luke Cage, and Captain America's 70s Sidekick Sam Wilson? It is unfortunate however that, given the season, Liss didn't have Luke say his famous catchphrase. Altogether now... 'Sweet Christmas'.

Art - I mentioned Shawn Martinbrough's use of shadows in the main body of the review, but it bares repeating, the man is a master of using darkness and shadow in his work, and he's ably assisted by colourising Felix Serrano. This comes in very handy for a book set entirely at night. Martinbrough's art really comes across like a mix between this series' two previous artists, Francesco Francavilla and Jefte Palo, and that means it's pretty much perfect. I particularly loved the interrogation sequence, where T'Challa is reduced to nothing more than an outline and two demonic yellow eyes, brilliant technique there.